Honouring Plimmer’s Ark
Asculpture to honour Wellington’s maritime history, located on the waterfront’s Whitmore Plaza that is being redeveloped, has been formally unveiled by the mayor.
The Grove, by Whanganui artist Glen Hayward, was unveiled by Wellington mayor Tory Whanau last night at its location outside the new waterfront Bell Gully building.
It is Hayward’s first permanent public artwork, but his work is familiar to Wellingtonians – he created four 2 metre shards of porcelain for the Wellington Sculpture Trust’s 4 Plinths project outside Te Papa in 2014.
The Grove is made of recycled wood from a former Wellington ferry wharf and consists of 15 copper-headed nails of various heights hammered into the pavement in front of the new building.
The nails are modelled on those found in the original sailing ship that became Plimmer’s Ark and have been treated by burning and oiling to ensure protection.
‘‘We are excited to be unveiling this work that so elegantly reflects an aspect of the shipbuilding and maritime history of Wellington’s waterfront,’’ said Wellington Sculpture Trust chairperson Sue Elliott.
The work was commissioned after the trust was donated timbers and other relics from Plimmer’s Ark.
Plimmer’s Ark was originally a ship called The Inconstant, which foundered on the rocks near Pencarrow Head in 1849. It was eventually towed to shore and sold to John Plimmer for £80.
Plimmer moved the ship to his jetty, which stood opposite what is now known as Plimmer Steps.
There, he propped it up and used it as a customhouse and warehouse. But the 1855 earthquake lifted the shoreline,
It was lost for another 100 years, being rediscovered in 1997 during work on the Bank Arcade.
tipping over the Ark.
With subsequent expansions of the wharf it was buried. In 1899, the timbers and other artefacts were discovered when work began on the new BNZ head office.
It was lost for another 100 years, being rediscovered in 1997 during work on the Bank Arcade.
A third of the relics and wood was given to the trust, a third was fully preserved and a further third remains under Customhouse Quay.
While the semi-preserved wood the trust obtained proved unsuitable for an outdoor sculpture, Hayward used copperheaded nails that were among the donated artefacts as inspiration.
Hayward said creating The Grove was a team effort involving himself, designers Isthmus and the trust.
The sculpture is the centrepiece of a public area and pedestrian gateway being developed on Wellington’s waterfront as part of wider rejuvenation of the Whitmore Plaza area.
The work includes boardwalks, bridges and planting, helping to reorientate the space towards the harbour.
Large timber platforms set in and around The Grove will allow opportunities for people to stop and sit.
It is hoped the redeveloped area will eventually enhance the setting of the Eastbourne Ferry building and wider waterfront.
Elliott said The Grove would form a link between the trust’s proposed lightwork for the Shed 21 colonnade opposite the Wellington Railway Station and Ngā Kina by Michel Tuffery, which marks the Kumutoto Pā and stream.
The trust signed the contract with Hayward six years ago but had to wait for the new building to be completed before it could integrate the sculpture into the landscaping.
Covid-19 and an unexpected discovery of pipes that were not on any original plans for the waterfront’s infrastructure also caused delays.
The Kumutoto precinct sits on reclaimed land that, through a constant process of reclamation between the 1840s and 1970s, has moved the water’s edge almost 300 metres from Wellington’s original shoreline.